Overview
800-year-old Hakka clan fortresses, UNESCO 2008. Day trip from Xiamen: Tianluokeng cluster + Yongding Chengqi Lou (King of Tulou), Hakka cuisine.
Itinerary
Day Tour to Fujian Hakka Tulou UNESCO Earth Buildings from Xiamen
The buildings the CIA mistook for nuclear silos. When American spy satellites scanned southern Fujian in the 1980s, they saw thousands of large round structures and panicked — until they realized those weren't missile bases, they were tulou: 800-year-old fortified communal homes built by the Hakka people, each housing 200-800 family members from a single clan. Three to five stories tall, walls of rammed earth and bamboo a meter thick, a single iron-bound gate, a central courtyard with a clan ancestral hall. UNESCO listed them in 2008. There are over 3,000 still standing in the Fujian mountains.
This day tour from Xiamen takes you to two of the most famous clusters: Tianluokeng (the postcard image of 'four squares and a round' tulou nestled in tea-terraced hills) and Yongding's Chengqi Lou (nicknamed the 'King of Tulou' — four concentric circles, 400 rooms, built 1709, still home to 80 Jiang-clan families). Your English-speaking guide explains how Hakka clans, persecuted refugees from northern China during the Song dynasty, designed buildings that could withstand bandit raids, earthquakes, and centuries of family bickering.
Day 1 itinerary:
- 07:00 — Pickup from your Xiamen hotel
- 10:00 — Arrive Tianluokeng cluster; the famous '4 squares + 1 round' view from the upper viewing platform; walk through Buyun Lou and Hechang Lou (~90 min)
- 12:00 — Hakka countryside lunch (salt-baked chicken, glutinous rice cakes, mountain-vegetable stir-fry, rice wine — the Hakka kitchen is one of China's most distinct regional cuisines)
- 14:00 — Drive to Yongding (~45 min)
- 14:45 — Chengqi Lou: enter the King of Tulou, see the four concentric circles, the central ancestral hall, residents still drying tea leaves and tobacco on the upper floors (~75 min)
- 16:00 — Zhencheng Lou: nicknamed 'Prince of Tulou', earlier 1912 building with East-meets-West interior details (~45 min)
- 17:30 — Depart Yongding
- 20:30 — Drop-off at your Xiamen hotel
Who this is for: UNESCO completists, architecture and history buffs, photographers, anyone who wants to spend a day off Xiamen's tourist track in the Fujian mountains.
Logistics: Long day (13 hours, ~5 hours total driving). Comfortable air-conditioned vehicle. Sturdy walking shoes recommended (tulou stairs are uneven). Can be combined with Xiamen / Gulangyu as a multi-day Fujian package — message us for custom itineraries.
Local Roads. Global Eyes. Beijing-licensed inbound operator with on-the-ground Fujian guides. .
800-year-old Hakka clan fortresses, UNESCO 2008. Day trip from Xiamen: Tianluokeng cluster + Yongding Chengqi Lou (King of Tulou), Hakka cuisine.
Meeting & Pickup
What's Included
✓ Included
✕ Not included
Cancellation Policy
Free cancellation is available on most tours up to 24 hours before the start time. The exact cancellation terms for this tour are shown during booking.
Traveler Reviews
For us, the stop I expected to like least turned into the one we discussed afterward. That is the advantage of tasting with someone who can explain what is in front of you. I would keep the Xiamen outline as it was.
Practically speaking, the Xiamen stops were organised, but the food did not arrive like a rehearsed tasting menu. Each place kept its own character.
The useful part in Xiamen was not just trying food, but knowing what to order again later. I saved two dish names in my phone before the tour ended. For 14 hours around Xiamen, the pace felt about right.
Honestly, I tend to switch off when tours become a stream of dates. Here, the stories around Xiamen gave me enough to hold on to without overloading the day.
In short, I came with questions, left with more questions, and mean that as a compliment. I would still leave extra time for Day to Fujian Hakka Tulou UNESCO Earth Buildings from Xiamen.